Study abroad policies effective from 2024

Những chính sách du học có hiệu lực từ năm 2024- Ảnh 1. — International students in Australia, one of the countries with continuous changes in study abroad policy in 2023

Many measures to protect international students

To attract international students during the pandemic, countries such as Australia, Canada and the UK have loosened and expanded many study abroad policies such as visas, work rights and immigration opportunities. However, the explosion in the number of international students immediately after opening borders has created many negative issues such as housing crisis or educational profiteering, forcing countries to tighten policies to protect the rights of learners.

Specifically, Australia increased financial proof requirements, eliminated parallel study and Covid-19 visas. Meanwhile, the UK government banned international students from switching to work visas before completing their training programs, while Canada forced schools to directly verify international students' admission letters with immigration authorities instead of just sending invitation letters as before.

In contrast to the developments in top study abroad destinations, some Nordic countries have long seen international students as a factor contributing to diversity and welcoming learners from other countries at low costs. However, shifting political views have led Norway and Finland to decide to increase tuition fees for non-EU students in 2023, according to The PIE News .

Germany is considered a paradise for international students, welcoming record numbers of international students thanks to low tuition fees and attractive post-graduation job options. The US, on the other hand, has been relatively quiet on policy, and it may be the only country where education administrators want more government intervention, such as in designing national strategies.

Những chính sách du học có hiệu lực từ năm 2024- Ảnh 2. — A building at Harvard University, USA

On the other side of the world, New Zealand is still struggling to get its international student numbers back to pre-pandemic levels, a prospect that could materialize next year as the island nation’s new government promises to expand work rights, speed up visa processing and allow international students to settle after graduation.

New regulations take effect from 2024

Another focus of Australia’s policy is to reduce immigration. Notably, it will increase English language requirements from the beginning of 2024. Specifically, applicants must achieve IELTS 6.0 (or equivalent) instead of 5.5 as before to apply for a student visa, and IELTS 6.5 instead of 6.0 for a post-study work visa. For English programs or university preparation courses, the numbers are IELTS 5.0 and 5.5 respectively.

Australia will also replace the study plan letter in student visa applications with a test for genuine students, and commit to simplifying post-graduation work visas, limiting visa "hopping" by more carefully reviewing second visa applications of international students... The country also shortens the post-graduation work period for applied master's programs (to 2 years) and doctoral programs (to 3 years).

In the UK, from January 2024, only international students studying master's and doctoral programs will be allowed to bring their family members with them. In addition, the UK government also raised the standards for skilled worker visas and reviewed post-graduation work visas. Specifically, the minimum salary that foreign workers must achieve to apply for a skilled worker visa increased to 38,700 pounds/year (1.2 billion VND). On the other hand, the duration of the post-graduation work visa is likely to be reduced to 6 months instead of up to 3 years as before.

Những chính sách du học có hiệu lực từ năm 2024- Ảnh 3. — International students in the UK

If choosing Canada as a destination, in addition to tuition and travel expenses, international students must prove that they have CAD 20,635 (VND 376 million) available to apply for a study permit. This new requirement is double the old CAD 10,000 and takes effect from January 1, 2024. Canada also warns schools to only send admission letters if they can arrange accommodation for international students, and allows unlimited part-time work until April 30, 2024.

From 2024, universities have also announced many new admission policies. For example, in Korea, from the spring semester, schools will no longer require international students to submit essays, self-introductions or study plans, and at the same time, they will relax foreign language requirements. Or in China, many schools require applicants to prove their financial resources and have a Chinese proficiency certificate of level 4 or higher, although previously few places required it.

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